Wives’ roles among alcoholic partners in the Philippine context

Alcoholism, the most common form of addiction, can be considered a societal and familial problem. In controlling the alcoholic consumption of husbands, wives may play a significant role. The present study aimed to know the profile of selected couples, determine the wife’s effort in controlling the husband’s alcohol use, and assess the correlation of possible risk factors associated with husband’s alcohol use and wife’s effort in Talisay City, Cebu. A total of 97 couples were screened using inclusion criteria (18-60 years of age, living together for at least six months, and the husband must be an alcohol user). All couples satisfied most of the criteria except the criteria where the husband must be an alcohol user, leading to only 65 qualified couples (67%). Husbands and wives were interviewed separately using a structured questionnaire. Husbands were asked about their alcohol use and wives were asked regarding their efforts in controlling their husband’s alcohol use. Statistical analyses revealed significant differences between wives’ effort towards the alcohol-user ‎husband and their husbands’ type of alcohol use, level of alcohol use, and history of alcoholism in the family. ‎‎Moreover, significant positive relationships were found between the wife’s effort towards controlling the husband’s alcohol use and the number of children. Results imply that the wife’s effort to control the alcohol consumption of their husband has a relationship with the husband’s level of ‎alcohol use. The wife is seen to play a critical role in regulating alcoholism in the family and community. Thus, in increasing awareness and control of alcoholism in the community, housewives must also be targeted